D-Backs' Miller blames mechanics for poor outings

Shelby Miller says his fingers didn't scrape the mound on his follow-through, and even if they did, that's not the reason for his struggles.

Five days earlier, the righty exited early after cutting up his fingers on the dirt with his follow-through. On Friday, it appeared the same thing happened, but Miller refutes that.

"No, my hand wasn’t bothering me really at all today," he told reporters. "Not at all."

Instead, Miller says his mechanics were off, and he plans to watch some video to get himself right.

Miller was in the midst of a wild outing, giving up two runs in two innings on one hit and five walks. In the third inning, the Arizona Diamondbacks starter threw a 2-1 pitch in the dirt to San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.

Following the pitch, Miller appeared to tend to his fingers.

Catcher Chris Herrmann jogged to the mound for a visit, and after a few moments he went back behind the dish and Miller signaled to the dugout that he was OK.

After walking Pence on the next pitch, D-Backs manager Chip Hale lifted him in favor of Tyler Wagner, who got the win after giving up two hits over the next five innings.

Since joining Arizona, Miller has hardly been worth the price of No. 1 overall draft pick Dansby Swanson. The righty is now carrying an 8.59 ERA on his shoulders, giving up 17 earned runs while walking 11 batters in 14 2/3 innings.